Prisoner of War Benefits Act of 2007

Water Access Issue: HR 3223 - The Keep Our WaterwaysWorking Act of 2007; Boater education issue - S1892 - Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008 and HR 2830 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007; Definition of PWC issue: Marine Sanctuary (Monterrey Bay Amendments); Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway dredging projects; marine sanctuaries issue: HR 1197 - Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act

Client expense: $250,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), SENATE

HR 6939, HR 6122, HR 6114, HR 6032, HR 5985, HR 5954, HR 5892, HR 5888, HR 5730, HR 5729, HR 5709, HR 5684, HR 5622, HR 5595, HR 5554, HR 5509, HR 5448, HR 5454, HR 5155, HR 4463, HR 4274, HR 4231, HR 4204, HR 4146, HR 4107, HR 4089, HR 4053, HR 3954, HR 3889, HR 3819, HR 3795, HR 3681, HR 3458, HR 3415, HR 3286, HR 3249, HR 3070, HR 3047, HR 3008, HR 2818, HR 2790, HR 2697, HR 2696, HR 2623, HR 2612, HR 2514, HR 2378, HR 2259, HR 2239, HR 2219, HR 2192, HR 2190, HR 2173, HR 2172, HR 2026, HR 2005, HR 1944, HR 1927, HR 1925, HR 1853, HR 1589, HR 1538, HR 1527, HR 1490, HR 1448, HR 1477, HR 1472, HR 1470, HR 1444, HR 1435, HR 1426, HR 1382, HR 1370, HR 1354, HR 1318, HR 1315, HR 1284, HR 1265, HR 1214, HR 1197, HR 1137, HR 995, HR 976, HR 963, HR 797, HR 728, HR 704, HR 676, HR 675, HR 652, HR 649, HR 634, HR 612, HR 542, HR 538, HR 463, HR 402, HR 358, HR 343, HR 339, HR 336, HR 333, HR 315, HR 303, HR 243, HR 161, HR 156, HR 109, HR 100, HR 92, HR 81, HR 67, H.Con.RES 336, H.Con.RES 176, S 3527, S 3023, S 2984, S 2969, S 2963, S 2961, S 2951, S 2938, S 2937, S 2926, S 2921, S 2899, S 2889, S 2864, S 2825, S 2824, S 2799, S 2797, S 2796, S 2768, S 2737, S 2701, S 2683, S 2639, S 2674, S 2617, S 2573, S 2550, S 2471, S 2383, S 2377, S 2309, S 2273, S 2162, S 2160, S 2142, S 2139, S 2138, S 2091, S 2090, S 2026, S 2004, S 1718, S.1454, S 1441, S 1326, S 1315, S 1314, S 1271, S 1266, 2 1265, S 1261, S 1233, S 1215, S 1205, S 1196, S 1163, S 1147, S 1096, S 1065, S 1043, S 1026, S 994, S 961, S 935, S 882, S 874, S 848, S 847, S 815, S 698, S 692, S 643, S 610, S 526, S 479, S 472, S 439, S 423, S 383, S 349 S 326, S 225, S 168, S 161, S 117, S 67, S 57, S 38, S 22.

Client expense: $480,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Labor, Dept of (DOL), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Veterans Employment & Training Service

HR 1197--Prisoner of War Benefits Act of 2007--Amends Federal veterans' benefits provision with respect to former prisoners of war (POW) to repeal the currently required 30-day minimum period of internment prior to the presumption of service connection for certain listed diseases, for purposes of the payment veterans' disability compensation. Adds the following disease to the above listed diseases diabetes (type 2) and osteoporosis. Requires: (1) such presumption also with respect to any disease that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines warrants such presumption by reason of having a positive association with the experience of being a prisoner or war; and (2) the Secretary to make such a determination within 60 days after a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War that such presumption be established for a non-listed disease. HR 3008--Rural Veterans Services Outreach and Training Act--Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a program to make competitive grants to provide financial assistance to state departments of veterans affairs for the training of rural county veteran service officers in order to improve outreach and assistance to veterans, as well as their spouses, children, and parents, who may be eligible to receive veterans' or veterans-related benefits and who are residing in rural counties. Limits each grant to $1 million. Requires grants to be made on an annual basis. HR 3051--Heroes at Home Act of 2007--Directs the VA Secretary to: (1) establish a program on training and certification of family caregivers of veterans and members with traumatic brain injury (TBI); and (2) conduct outreach to enhance awareness of veterans and the public about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and TBI and the services provided the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with such symptoms. Direct the VA and DOD Secretaries to jointly: (1) establish a demonstration project to assess the feasibility and advisability of using telehealth technology to assess cognitive functioning of members who have sustained head trauma in order to improve their diagnosis and treatment; and (2) conduct an ongoing study of all matters relating to the telehealth and telemental health services of the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. HR 3070--Disabled Veterans' Caregiver Compensation Act--Requires the VA Secretary to pay monthly compensation of $234 to a veteran if and while totally disabled and in need of regular aid and attendance and while unpaid aid and attendance is provided by an adult family member who dependent upon such veteran for support. HR 3795--You Were There, You Get Care Act of 2007--Presumes specified diseases, and any other disease found by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to result from exposure to depleted uranium or the byproducts of the burn-off that occurs when a depleted uranium munition penetrates a target, among those diseases that will be presumed to be service-connected (and therefore compensable) when appearing in radiation-exposed veterans. Includes, for purposes of such coverage, service during the Persian Gulf War or any subsequent conflict in which depleted uranium munitions are used. Directs the Secretary to provide for an independent medical study to determine other diseases that my result from exposure to depleted uranium. Requires study results to be submitted to the congressional veterans' committees. HR 4255--United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Program Act of 2008--Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make a grant to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to plan, develop, manage, and implement the Paralympic Program for veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the USOC to use a grant to recruit, support, encourage, schedule, facilitate, supervise, and implement paralympic instruction and competition activities, training and technical assistance, and coordination and program development activities for veterans and members of the Armed Forces with physical disabilities. Sets forth outreach, coordination, application, and memorandum of understanding requirements. HR 4463--Veterans Health Care Quality Improvement Act--Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe standards for appointment and practice as a physician within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires: (1) applicants to provide certain information, including each lawsuit, civil action, or other claim against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence, and their results; (2) each appointee to disclose any judgments against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence and any payments made; and (3) physicians already employed within the VHA to disclose such information. Prohibits a new appointment without: (1) approval of the regional director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network (Network) in which the individual will serve; (2) board certification in the specialties in which the individual will practice; and (3) a license to practice medicine in that state. Requires: (1) the VHA's Under Secretary of health to designate a National Quality Assurance Officer for the VHA quality assurance program; (2) each Network regional director to appoint a quality assurance officer; and (3) the director of each VHA medical facility to appoint a quality assurance officer. Directs the Secretary to review VA policies for maintaining health care quality and patient safety at VA medical facilities. Requires the Secretary, in order to recruit and retain VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions, to: (1) repay certain educational loans for individuals who agree to serve for at least three years as a VHA physician; (2) reimburse tuition for medical students who agree to serve as a VHA physician after such education; and (3) enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program an individual who agrees to serve as a VHA physician for at least five days per month. Encourages the Secretary to undertake additional incentives to encourage individuals to serve or practice as VHA physicians. HR 5155--Combat Veterans Debt Elimination Act of 2008--Prohibits the VA Secretary from collecting debts owed to the United States by certain veterans who die as a result of a service-connected disability incurred or aggravated on active duty in a war after the Persian Gulf War or a combat zone after September 11, 2001, if the Secretary determines, in his or her discretion, that the termination of collection is the best interest of the United States. Excepts any amounts owed the United States under federal housing and small business loan programs from such prohibition on debt collection. HR 5448--Full Faith in Veterans Act of 2008--Directs the VA Secretary to accept as sufficient proof of service-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alleged to have been incurred in or aggravated by active military service a diagnosis of PTSD by a mental health professional, together with a written determination that such disorder is related to the veteran's service, if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation during such service. Requires the Secretary to resolve every reasonalbe doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows PTSD service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence. Directs the Secretary to require Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees responsible for rating disabilities, evaluating claims for disability compensation for PTSD, or adjudicating disability compensation ratings to complete a certification program established by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct audits of examinations of veterans who submit claims for disability compensation for PTSD; (2) update the schedule for rating disabilities with respect to PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other mental disorders; (3) implement new PTSD criteria; (4) implement a holistic treatment approach for veterans with PTSD; and (5) require VA employees responsible for adjudicating disability compensation ratings to take into consideration veterans' treatment records from readjustment counseling centers and written opinions of mental health professionals. HR 5454--Amend title 38, USC, to establish a presumption of service connection of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for purposes of the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs--Presumes to be service-connected, and therefore compensable through veterans' disability compensation, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis developing a 10% degree of disability or more at any time, in the case of a veteran who served for 90 days or more during a period of war. HR 5709--Veterans Disability Fairness Act--Directs the VA Secretary, in order to carry out the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) quality assurance program with respect to the administration of veterans' disability compensation, to ensure the accuracy and consistency across VA offices of the treatment of claims for disability compensation, including disability rating determinations and whether a disability is service-connected. Requires the Secretary to conduct reviews and audits, at least annually, to identify and correct any inaccuracies or inconsistencies in disability ratings and the adjudication of disability compensation claims by VA regional offices and employees responsible for such ratings or adjudications. HR 5888--Amend title 38, USC, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility--Allows reimbursement to a veteran who receives emergency treatment in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility if, among other requirements, the veteran has no contractual or legal recourse against a third party that would, in whole (currently, in whole or part), extinguish the veteran's liability to the provider. HR 5954--Amend title 38, USC, to provide veterans for presumptions of service connection for purposes of benefits under laws administered by Secretary of Veterans Affairs for disease associated with service in the Armed Forces and exposure to biological, chemical, or other toxic agents as part of Project 112--Creates, for veterans who were subjected to certain chemical or biological warfare testing involving Project 112 conducted through Deseret Test Center (including the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project, also known as Project SHAD), a presumption that a disease was incurred in or aggravated by service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of the disease during the period of service, if the disease warrants presumption of service connection by reason of increased exposure to biological, chemical, or other toxic agent. HR 5985--Compensation for Combat Veterans Act--Provides that, for a veteran claiming disability benefits related to combat, service in a combat zone that is recognized as such service under the Internal Revenue Code shall be considered proof that the veteran engaged in combat. HR 6032--Amend title 38, USC, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide wartime disability compensation for certain veterans with Parkinson's Disease--Adds Parkinson's disease (manifested to a degree of disability of 10% or more) to the list of diseases considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by military service in Vietnam, notwithstanding that there is no evidence of the disease during the period of service, provided a veteran served between specified dates and was exposed to an herbicide used in military operations during that period. HR 6122--Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008--Directs the VA Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans, including department-wide management of acute and chronic pain, the standard of care, the consistent application of pain assessments, health care personnel education and training, and education for veterans and their families. HR 6153--Veterans' Medical Personnel Recruitment and Retention Act of 2008--Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to appoint personnel for health care positions within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) not specifically listed as authorized categories for appointment, as long as the Secretary provides prior notification to the congressional veterans' committees and the Office of Management and Budget. Requires newly-appointed nurses to serve a probationary period. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) appoint nurse assistants; and (2) waive required pay offsets for federal annuitants reemployed in VA health care positions. Sets the minimum rate of basic pay for appointees to certain positions in the Office of the Under Secretary for Health at the lowest rate of basic pay for a Senior Executive Service position. Allow for the payment of: (1) comparability pay of up to $100,000 annually for Office positions which are not physicians or dentists; and (2) special incentive pay of up to $40,000 annually to a VHA pharmacist executive. Removes or waives certain pay restrictions for: (1) physicians or dentists occupying administrative or executive leadership positions; (2) nurses; and (3) certified registered nurse anesthetists. Revised locality pay scale computations. Increases from $25,000 to $100,000 the special pay for nurse executives. Makes part-time nurses eligible for additional nurse. Provides limitation on overtime duty, weekend duty, and alternative work schedules for nurses, with exceptions for emergency situations. Reinstates the VA's health professionals educational assistance scholarship program, and increases maximum assistance amounts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an educational loan repayment program for clinical researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds. HR 6599--Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2009--FY 2009 appropriations for Department of Veterans Affairs, mandatory and discretionary spending. S 2162--Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008--Enhance VA substance-use disorder and mental health Programs, assistance for families of veterans, and Homeless veterans matters. S 3023--Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008--Omnibus veterans' benefits measure. HR 6939, S 3527--Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act--Amend title 38, USC, to authorize advance appropriations for certain medical care accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs by providing two-fiscal year budget authority. HR 5826, S 3001, PL 110-324--Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008--Amend title 38, USC, to codify increases in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans that were effective as of December 1, 2007, to provide for an increase in the rates of such compensation effective December 1, 2008. HR 2638, PL 110-329--Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance Continuing Appropriations Act 2009--FY 2009 appropriations for Department of Veterans Affairs, mandatory and discretionary spending. PL 94-466--Views regarding Independent Living Program--To ensure that America's severely disabled veterans are provided with the highest level of service and employment assistance.

Client expense: $60,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)